Rotary distributor for spraying devices



Feb. 26, 1952 QN IS 2,587,514

ROTARY DISTRIBUTOR FOR SPRAYING DEVICES Filed April 5, 1948 Zmnentor (Ittorneg Feb. 26, 1952 E. o. NORRIS ROTARY DISTRIBUTOR FOR SPRAYING DEVICES Filed April 5, 1948 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Smaentor far/4R0 0 Name/.5

Clttomeg Patented Feb. 26, 1952 umrcc PATENT OFFICE nornar msmmcoromi oit sl itam' G JJEVICES 'fiiiiwariofiirorris, westpcr'eotm. nis-pnmicncr rn t, 194s, Serial-No. 18;976

icciafims. (Crista- 6% liquid at its peripheral edge and to retain the same until it is proiectedoutwardly in the form of a fine spray.

Another object is to provide-a rotary distributor of the above type which is capableof producing improved atomization.

Various other objects and'advantages will be apparent as the nature of the invention is more fully disclosed. v

Although the novel features which are characteristic of this invention 'are pointed-out more particularly in the claims, the nature-of the invention will be better understood by referring to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which a specific embodiment thereof has'been set-forth for purposes of illustration.

In the drawings;

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of -a spraying-device embodying thelpresent invention;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation thereof;

Fig. -3 is a partial top plan view thereof ona largerscale with parts in horizontalsection to show the construction;

Fig. 4 is a partial top plan view showing the control linkages; I

Fig. 5 is a partialradial sectionthrough the distributor taken on its enlarged scale;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of aportion'of one 'of the distributor discs;

Fig. 7 is a partial sectional view through the distributor taken on the 'line 1-1 oiE-Fig. 6, but on a larger scale; and a v Fig. 8 is a partial section similar1to Sinustrating a further embodiment of the invention.

Referring to the drawings more in detail, the spray deviceis shown in-Figs. land-2 as com'-. prising generally a receptacle 10 for the-liquid to be sprayed, a motor casing 1 La downwardly extending handle 12 attached to themotor casing, and a distributorhousing I4. -A control leverl5 for controlling the emission of the spray is piv-' .2 oted at-IG to the upper portion of the'handle l2 and-is held in extended position by a plunger H which is .pressed outwardly by a spring, not shown.

Referring to Fig. 3, the distributor housing I4 is shown in-the form of a cup having an inclined front-edge 18 forming a front opening to receive a rotary case 19. The distributor housing [4 is secured to a valve housing 20 which in turn is attached to the motor casing l l. Asupply duct-2| (Fig. 1) leading from the receptacle 'i' 9 terminates in a valve chamber 22 in the valve housing 2%). The chamber '22 communicates with a passage 23 by a port formed by a valve seat 2 closed by a 'ball valve 25 which is seated by a spring 26 and is carried on a valve rod 21 terminating in a cap 28 by which the valve is actuated. The passage 2-3 communicates with an annular chamber 29 formed in the valve housing 20 and which extends around a rotary hub 30 carrying the case I9 and mounted on the motor shaft 31. 7

The hub 30- is provided with 'aradial flange 35 forming the rear wall of the rotary case. The case [9 is provided with an annular lip 3b which projects in back of the radial flange 35 to form a-receiving-chamber 37 which is open to the annular-supplychamber-29. The lip 35 has a running fit with ashoulder 38 on the walls forming annular chamber 29. A plurality of apertures 43 areformed in the radial flange 35 adjacent the peripheral wall of the rotary case iii to pass the liquid from the receiving chamber 3 to the peripheral wall of the case. The lip 36 flares outwardlyso that the-liquid received in the chamber 31-is forced-along the wall and through the openings 40 into the case i9 by centrifugal force and forms a peripheral layer on the peripheral Wall of the case.

The distributor comprises aplurality of discs 45 which are separated by spacers 46 (Fig. 5) and are secured between an end cap 41 and an annular cap 48 bymeans of screws 49. The distri-butor'disc and caps are carried on a shaft 5! (Fig. 3) which is journalled for rotation in a bushing '51. T-heannular cap '48 is provided with a radialbearing surface 52 which bears against one end of the bushing 5| and carries a-flange 53 which 'forms aliquid seal to prevent the liquid from entering the bearing. A thrust bearing is provided in the form of a ball seated between the end of the shaft 56 and a cap which is screwed onto the bushing 5!.

The bushing 5| is carried by a bracket 6i] (Figs. 3 and 4) which is pivoted about a pin 61 and is extended to form --a yoke '62. The distributor is urged outwardly by a spring 63 and its movement is limited by a stop comprising a fixed stud 65 carrying a thumb nut 65.

An arm 66 pivoted about the pin 6| extends beneath the yoke 62 and is adapted when moved outwardly to cause the bracket 66 to pivot clockwise and to thereby retract the distributor within the rotary case l9. The arm 66 is adapted to engage the cap 28 on the end of the valve rod 27 and to depress the valve rod for opening the valve 25 when the arm 66 is moved in a counterclockwise direction as seen in Fig. 3.

The arm 66 is actuated bya link '16 which extends across the top of the motor housing and is attached to the end of the lever l5 and is so arranged that movement of the free end of the lever l5 toward the handle l2 results in opening the valve and in releasing the yoke 62 so that the distributor is moved outwardly about the pivot pin 6| by the spring 63 to a position determined by the setting of the thumb nut 65. A shield 8'! having a spray opening 86 is mounted in the case is and is provided with openings 88 for the return of intercepted spray to the case.

In accordance with the present invention, the distributor discs 45 are made in the form of a screen having a plurality of spaced holes I5 which, as shown more clearly in Fig. '7, have a cylindrical wall 16 terminating in a round opening 18 at one side of the disc and a tapered wall l9 terminating in a smaller opening 86 at the other side of the disc. Such a disc may be stamped from a screen of the type disclosed in my Patent No. 2,226,383, dated December 4,

1940, which describes in detail a method for manufacturing such a screen. The holes 15 may not be extended entirely through the discs, but may take the form of depressions in the discs if desired. It will be noted that the peripheral edge 8| of the disc, as shown in Fig. 6, cuts through certain of the holes 15a so that the peripheral edge of the disc is serrated by the intersected holes. The discs 45 are so disposed on the shaft 56 that the larger opening 18 faces the rear wall of the rotary case.

In the operation of this device, the liquid to be sprayed is placed in the, receptacle lllwhich communicates through the duct 2i and valve 25 to the annular chamber 29 leading to the rotary case 19. When it is desired to spray, the lever I5 is pressed toward the handle 2|, thereby r'eleasing the yoke 62 and allowing the distributor to be moved outwardly by the spring 63 to a position for ejecting spray through the spray opening 66 of the shield 81. Further movement of the handle 12 then causes the arm 66 to en gage the cap 28 and open the valve 25, thereby permitting liquid to flow from the receptacle l6 through the valve 25 and passage 23 into the annular chamber 29, thence through the receiv-' ing chamber 31 into the case and forming a peripheral layer about the wall thereof. The edges of the discs 45 are positioned todip into this peripheral layer and are driven thereby to cause the discs 45 to rotate rapidly. At the same time, the discs pick up the liquid in the pockets formed by the holes 15 and retain the same in the pockets until it is thrown out by the centrifugal action of the rapidly rotating distributor. The liquid is thus thrown out in the form of a fine spray in a direction which is determined by the intersection of the plane of the discs 45 with the opening 86 of the shield 81. The portion of the spray which is intercepted by the shield 81 is returned centrifugally along theinner surface of the shield 81 to the case [9 where it returns to the peripheral film therein. Any liquid thrown ofi from the edge of the shield 81 is intercepted by the lip 90 of the case 19. Any spray which flows around the edge of the shield 81 flows downwardly around the outer surface of the shield 81 and into the case 19 through the openings 88, thereby providing a sharp cut-off and preventing spattering of the spray.

When the lever I5 is released, the springpressed plunger 11 restores the same to its extended position, thereby reclosing the valve 25, and when the arm 66 engages the yoke 62, serving to retract the distributor within the rotary case I!) so that no further spray is emitted.

It will be noted that the arm 66 provides a lost motioncontrol for the valve 25 so that the distributor is raised into spraying position before the valve 25 is opened and the valve 25 is closed before the distributor is retracted to non-spraying position. In this way the distributor is always in spraying position whenever the valve 25 is opened so that accumulation of liquid in the rotary case is avoided.

It is to be understood that gravity feed has been shown merely for purposes of illustration and that the receptacle [0 may be replaced by a pressure feed if desired, in which event the spraying device will operate at any angle to the vertical. 1

In the embodiment of Fig. 8 the discs 91 are similar to the discs of Fig. 5, but are interleaved between solid discs 92. The upper disc 92 is provided with a lip 93 which dips in the liquid layer in the case 19. The discs 9! and 92 are flexible so that they may be separated slightly by the force of the liquid layer in which they dip and by the centrifugal force on the picked-up liquid.

In this embodiment the lip 93 is flexed by the liquid layer in the case l9 and thus opens a small space between the discs into which the thin liquid seeps. It is also directed against the periphery of the discs by the lip 93. The liquid is then held in the pockets formed by the perforations until it is thrown'outwardly by centrifugal force.

The discs are shown as of progressively smaller diameters from the top flanged disc to the bottom disc so that successive discs dip somewhat deeper into the liquid layer for picking up the liquid and being flexed to spread the various discs to provide-space for the seepage of the liquid therebetween. I They may, however, all be of the same diameter. They may be arranged so that only the lip 93 dips into the liquid layer relying upon the scoop action of the lip to force the liquid against the peripheries of the other discs.

The serrated edge of the discs, shown in Fig. 6, increases the drag of the advancing liquid layer on the discs and thus facilitates the drive of the discs by the peripheral liquid layer into which they dip, particularly when the device is used to spray liquids of low viscosity such as water. The pockets formed by the holes 15 also serve to retain such thin liquids until they are thrown outwardly as a spray by centrifugal force.

When used for spraying water the present distributor constitutes an efiicient humidifier inasmuch as it is adapted to produce an extremely fine spray which can be readily taken up by and suspended in an air current. It is also adapted for use as a. paint sprayer or for other liquids such as disinfectants.

Although certain specific embodiments have been described, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be restricted thereto, but that changes and modifications may be made therein as will be apparent to a person skilled in the art.

What is claimed is:

1. A spraying device comprising a distributor disc having a plurality of pockets formed therein, means supplying to said pockets a spray-forming material to be sprayed, and means rotating said disc at a speed to project the material from said pockets in the form of a spray.

2. A spraying device, as set forth in claim 1, in which said pockets comprise apertures extending entirely through said disc.

3. A spraying device, as set forth in claim 2, in which said apertures have flared walls forming a large opening on one face of said disc and a smaller opening on the other face thereof.

4. A spraying device, as set forth in claim 1, in which the peripheral edge of said disc intersects certain of said pockets to provide a serrated peripheral edge.

5. A spraying device, comprising a rotary case having an axial spray opening and an annular peripheral wall forming a channel to carry a film of spray-forming material due to centrifugal action, a distributor comprising a disc mounted to rotate within said case, said disc having a plurality of pockets formed therein to receive said material and being disposed to project a spray of said material centrifugally outwardly from said pockets through said spray opening, and means supplying said material to said disc for spraying therefrom.

6. A spraying device, as set forth in claim 5,

in which said pockets comprise holes extending entirely through said disc.

7. A spraying device, as set forth in claim 6, in which said holes are formed by flared peripheral walls arranged to provide a larger opening in one surface of said disc than in the other surface thereof.

8. A spraying device, as set forth in claim 5, in which the peripheral edge of said disc intersects certain of said pockets to form a, serrated peripheral edge adapted to pick up said material from said film.

9. A spraying device, as set forth in claim 5, in which said distributor is mounted for movement between a spraying position and a retracted position, the material supply means includes a valve connected to control the supply of said material, and manual means is provided for controlling said valve and for controlling the position of said distributor.

10. A spraying device, as set forth in claim 9, in which said manual means includes a lost motion connection arranged to advance said distributor prior to opening said valve and to close said valve prior to retracting said distributor.

11. In a spraying apparatus, a rotary collecting case having an annular peripheral wall forming a channel to receive a spray-forming material and having an axial spray opening, means supplying a spray-forming material to said case, means driving said case to cause the material to form a peripheral layer on said wall, a distributor comprising a disc having a plurality of pockets therein, means rotatably mounting said distributor in said case with the peripheral edge of said disc dipping into said channel and with the plane of rotation of said disc intersecting said spray opening, said disc being mounted to be driven by the rotating layer of material in said case and to pick up material therefrom in said pockets and to discharge the same centrifugally as a spray, a portion of which passes out through said spray opening and the remainder of which is intercepted by said collecting case and returned to said layer.

12. A spraying device, as setforth in claim 11, in which said distributor is mounted for movement between a spraying position and a retracted position, the material-l supply means includes a valve connected to control the passage of said material, and manual means is provided for controlling said valve and for controlling the position of said distributor, said valve being opened when said distributor is in spraying position and closed when said distributor is in retracted position.

13. A spraying apparatus, as set forth in claim 11, in which said distributor comprises a plurality of super-imposed discs.

14. A spraying apparatus, as set forth in claim 13, in which alternate discs are perforated and the other discs solid.

15. A spraying apparatus, as set forth in claim 14, in which said discs are of progressively decreasing diameters with their peripheries dipping into and flexed by said layer of material 16. A spraying apparatus, as set forth in claim 11, in which said distributor comprises a plurality of superposed discs and a. peripheral lip is formed on one of said discs and positioned to dip into the layer of material and to scoop the material therefrom onto the peripheries of the other discs.

EDWARD O. NORRIS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,803,792 Christensen May 5, 1931 1,992,997 Drake Mar. 5, 1935 2,063,048 Norris Dec. 8, 1936 2,099,988 Norris Nov. 23, 1937 2,226,383 Norris Dec. 24, 1940 2,454,594 Christensen Nov. 23, 1948 

